The present invention relates generally to machine milking of animals. More particularly the invention relates to a testing arrangement for a milking machine, a milking machine, a method of testing a milking machine, a computer program directly loaded into the internal memory of a computer for carrying out the method, and a computer readable medium having a computer program recorded thereon for carrying out the method.
Automatic milking solutions are becoming increasingly efficient and sophisticated. Of course, this is a desirable. However, the technical development has also lead to that the milking machines have become relatively complex, and thus difficult to test and monitor. Static-mode procedures, i.e. dry testing performed when no milk is extracted, have been known for decades. An important drawback of these procedures is that they are incapable of encountering any problems that only arise in the presence of milk. Since the large amounts of milk that normally are present in the machine when it operates in the working mode highly influence the milking machine's workload, the dry testing can exclusively provide general status indications for the machine.
Therefore, various forms of alternative test procedures have been developed to better reflect the conditions experienced by the milked animals. U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,247 describes a method for testing animals being milked by means of a system, which in turn, includes a plurality of milk meters. Here, a remote control device provides a single interface with all milk meters for inputting and receiving of data. The recorded measurement data may serve as a basis for determining various animal related parameters.
WO00/75610 discloses a solution for monitoring a vacuum supply pulsator device during milking. Here, a signal describing a varying position of a flexible diaphragm is used to determine different kinds of malfunctions in the milking line and the teat cups, for instance being caused by a small leakage or dirt.
In general, so-called wet (or dynamic) testing, which is performed on a milking machine in the working mode offers a much more accurate diagnosis means than the above-mentioned dry testing. In wet testing, the influence of different amounts of milk and milk flow rates can be determined. Thus, an overall plant performance in the working mode is provided. De Koning, K. et al., “Dynamic Testing, Measuring during Milking—Procedures and Interpretation”, English translation of chapter 5 in “The Dutch Guide Line for Testing of Milking Machines”, IKC-report nr. 19, Handleiding voor het doormeten van Melkinstallaties, 1991 discloses one example of a method for measuring variations in milking vacuum during actual milking.
Nevertheless, this type of dynamic testing does not provide a sufficient diagnosis accuracy to conclude which specific component, if any, in the milking machine that malfunctions. Hence, it is also difficult to perform adequate corrective modifications and/or adjustments of the milking machine, and the animals risk being subjected to unhealthy vacuum pressures, e.g. resulting in over or under milking.